A Guide to Being Vegetarian in South Korea

South Korea is a carnivore’s paradise. Cuisine in Korea is largely based around meats, seafood, and rice, although as ever, there are some options for vegetarians. Meals in Korea are generally served to the whole table, often in the form of side dishes, from which every member of the table may eat. One side dish that accompanies every meal is kimchi; most commonly fermented cabbage smothered with chilli paste. Short grain white rice is also served at every meal and it is important to note that many people in Korea do not discern differences between breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When eating in Korea, it is normal to use only chopsticks and a spoon, although if you are really struggling, most restaurants will provide a fork upon request. Gochujang (fermented red chilli paste) and doenjang (fermented bean paste) are used in many dishes. Fortunately, if you’re on a strict diet like the keto boost, most restaurants offer simple substitute you can replace the carbohydrates with in order for you to enjoy a low-carb Korean meal that will still taste delicious without you feeling like you are missing out on a thing!

It is very typical for each Korean restaurant to only serve certain types of Korean food; thus if you would like a Korean pancake, you have to get it from a Korean pancake restaurant. If you are looking for a solely vegetarian chain, go to Loving Hut. Loving Hut is a wonderful vegan chain with restaurants all over the country and serving food at very reasonable prices.

When in non-vegetarien restaurants (almost every restaurant in Korea), you have to be rather careful as there is very little concept of vegetarianism and many of the soups and sauces will contain fish or very small bits of meat, even if the restaurant staff claim that they don’t. It isn’t that they are trying to trick you; they simply don’t understand the concept of being a vegetarian. In the modern day, as Korea became more affluent, people would only avoid eating meat if they couldn’t afford it. Within Korea, there are literally hundreds or thousands of versions of every dish so if you order it in one restaurant, don’t expect it to be exactly the same if you order it in the restaurant next door the following day. As a side note, the idea that all Koreans eat dogs isn’t true. Eating dog is fairly uncommon in Korea although it does happen.

Dishes to Try

Kimchi [ 김치 ]: the pride of Korea; fermented vegetables, primarily cabbage in a variety of seasonings. Each kimchi is a little bit different but vegetarians must ask to ensure that the particular version they are trying hasn’t been made with saeujeot 새우젓 (shrimp sauce) or aekjeot 액젓 (fish sauce). Kimchi is like marmite. You will love it or hate it. I am the latter. Kimchi is available everywhere.

Bibimbap [ 비빔밥 ]: it roughly translates as mixed rice and is a normally a mixture of both rice and vegetables. Often they will put an egg on top and very occasionally, they like to sneak a little beef surprise into the bottom. Try to get the version without the beef. Bibimbap is a cheap dish available from most orange shops (small, cheap, often 24 hour restaurants with orange signage outside).

(Spam free) Gimbap [ 김밥 ] is a collection of strips of pickled vegetables (and sometimes spam), laid onto rice and sheets of seaweed that is rolled into a sausage shape. It is very cheap and available as street food and in orange shops.

Somandu [ 소만두 ] or Napjak-mandu: dumplings that can be grilled, fried, boiled, or steamed. They are often filled with glass noodles and vegetables. Don’t get other types of mandu (dumpling) because they are filled with meat or fish.

Bam [ 밤 ]: nothing more than roast chestnuts. A delicious street food available all over the country.

Gamja Jon [ 감자 전 ]: a tasty fried Korean pancake featuring potatoes that can be sliced or shredded. Cheap food that is great for sharing. Check this page for other types of jon that might be vegetarian.

Doenjang Jigae [ 된장 찌개 ]: a soup made with doenjang (similar to miso). Be careful that seafood or pork isn’t added.

Jap chae [ 잡채 ]: a glass noodle and vegetable dish that is served cold, sometimes with ice. Once again be careful that a little meat surprise isn’t included.

Everything at Loving Hut: No meat worries, eat EVERYTHING.

Apologies for all the warnings of meat above, but Korean food really does vary from one establishment to another. Use the following vocabulary to help you out when trying to order vegetarian food.

Vocabulary

I’m a vegetarian.

저는 채식주의자입니다

Jeoneun chaeshikjooeeja imnida

[NOTE: Just saying 채식주의자 chaeshikjooeeja and gesturing to oneself worked well for me]

I spent four days in Seoul in 2010 but fortunately, it wasn’t too difficult travelling as a vegetarian in Seoul. I was helping greatly by the fact my CouchSurfing hosts were vegetarian, so they were able to help me greatly.

Thanks for this post! I’m so excited for my trip, but super nervous about eating there- especially since I do not speak a word of Korean. I’ll definitely be practising the phrases you posted!I’ll probably have to bring some granola bars incase!

I’ve been in Korea for about four months and I will respectfully disagree with the author, it is not possible to eat vegetarian in Korea. I’m a flutist in the army bands and have been a vegetarian most of my life. I agree that there is no concept of vegetarian here and you can sometimes find bibimbap without meat, but not always. In my experience kimchi is almost universally made with fish (you can smell it). Whenever I leave post I’m usually reduced to eating pizza. I need to make an effort to seek Loving Hut.

Caution: Eumok, or fish cake, looks A LOT like fried tofu! It is in every roll of kimbap I’ve ever seen!

Thank you soooo much for this! I’m currently visiting my boyfriend at Osan Air Base and it is very hard to find either fluently English speaking people and/or meat free foods! Your site has probably been the biggest breakthrough cuisine-wise! Thanks!

[…] has expanded, so I don’t have to worry much about this. I have read, though, that it is very difficult to be a vegetarian in Korea… So give me a month in Korea, and I’ll let you know just how many dietary problems I […]

Naeng-myeon (cold buckwheat noodles) are aso suitable for vegetarians. Most restaurants don’t give meat with naeng-myon but some of them do, but to make it sure that you get a vegan nyaeng-myon ask for mul-naeng-myon.

Pa-jon is also good, similar to kimchi jon but instead of kimchi it’s made with onion

Sam, what do you mean exactly? I don’t understand :-/ This article has the most veggie-friendly food that my partner and I found in the country, apart from a few that we found in 2013-2014. If you type in “Korea” or “Jeju” in my site’s search box, it should help you. If not, feel free to shoot me a private message with more specific questions ?

As a cook that works with korean food I will recommend you to look for Buddhist style restaurants or check out the menu of temple stays.As well for vegans, be very careful cuz many of the soup stocks are made with dried seaweed and Anchovy boiled in water or bone stocks … Especially the Doenjang Jigae [ 된장 찌개 ] is often made by the dashi and anchovy broth.For example you can see ideas for place to visit here http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1918006

As well as concentrating on different type of kimchi like Dongchimi – that is fermented radish water kimchi.Dishes like Hobakjuk ( pumpkin porridge ), Heukimjajuk (Black sesame seeds porridge ), Kongguksu (Soy milk noodle soup),Yaksik (Sweetened rice with dried fruits and nuts) as desert can be a good idea as well.

Thanks so much for the advice! I did check out a Buddhist place one time, but unfortunately there weren’t many around in the area I lived in. This is great help for all currently traveling/living in Korea, though- especially as I LOVE hobakjuk. Cheers!

Asia is the worst place to be an animal, its almost imposible to go crazy by eating the same day after day after day, you will either be cooking your own food or buying vegan meals on the internet. Koreans don’t care About about animal welfare, they see veganisim as a form of weakness, you can walk for miles before you food a vegan place or find a vegan friend, is animal hell here.

Unfortunately, this is very true. From my experience, many Koreans have the attitude “If you can afford me, why wouldn’t you eat it?” This is a direct result of the fact that South Korea was a fairly poor country until pretty recently. People above the age of, say, 45 remember a different time, when meat was a delicacy. I respect this aspect of their history and culture, but it does make it very challenging for a Westerner going to live there. Bigger cities may have a Loving Hunt chain or a couple veggie restaurants here and there, but you’re right: most of the time you’re forced to eat the same thing all the time, unless you cook for yourself.

Hey Husain. This is tricky. Bread products are not the same in Korea. I’m sure bigger cities have bakeries that “get it right” but, in general, small chain cafes sell eclectic versions of Western bread products. The most common bread is pure starch white, which I’m not a fan of any way. Many bread products have bits of hot dog in them, as well, but you’ll usually (not always) be able to see that. Bread is basically something that I went without in Korea, unless I made some at my friend’s house. Ovens aren’t traditionally used, so you’d have to buy your own or know someone to have this luxury. As for cooking oil, rapeseed and bean oils were the most commonly used where I lived. Vegetable oil is what is generally used for deep-frying. There might be some dishes made with lard, but I couldn’t say which ones for sure.

Thanks for this advice! My boyfriend has been in Korea for a few weeks and is vegetarian — he’s having such a challenging time and the only salad he found gave him food poisoning, LOL! Will be sending this right over!

Its my dream destination , South Korea,but I’m sure when i reach there ill have to face a lot of problems as I’m purely vegetarian by birth and later when i grew up, b choice too.i want to try famous dishes like kimbab,bimibap,black bean noodles but I’m sure i need to be very careful about what i eat there i hope ill be able to help myself…khamsahamnida for the information and i got this “jeonun chaesuk juie jayeo agashhi/ajusshi”

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Hi I’m Leah

In 2012, I left the U.S. in search of adventure. This site allows me to share the stories and bites from along the way, and to offer a little inspiration for anyone who wants to be a “Yes” person. Welcome!